


Unexpected discovery

by PinkLotus (EspurrsVena)



Category: JO1 (Japan Band)
Genre: Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Light Angst, M/M, Mentions of Anxiety because of Stress, Pomegaverse, uwu
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-15 05:55:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29679438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EspurrsVena/pseuds/PinkLotus
Summary: One afternoon Ren has suddenly disappeared and Takumi can only find a Pomeranian dog in Ren's room. Where does the dog come from and where is Ren?
Relationships: Kawanishi Takumi/Kawashiri Ren
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	Unexpected discovery

It was one of one his rare days off and Takumi wanted to celebrate this by not leaving his room all day. With a new release coming up it was rare for him to have some me-time, thus he wanted to enjoy it fully.   
However, when he was making potato salad for lunch, he noticed that he had run out of the key ingrediants - mayonnaise. Of course, food delivery was an option when you are hungry and you didn’t want to leave the house, yet he had prepared everything else already and didn’t want to waste everything. Thus, the only option left was to ask any of the other members if they had some left. 

Not everyone was at home today. Some members had a schedule, but if he remembered everyone’s schedule correctly, Ren would be in the dorm – unless he went spontaneously to the dance studio. Takumi could have sent a LINE message to check whether the older one was still in the house, but going down and checking yourself was just faster in his opinion. Also, he secretly hoped to score some sweets, if he visited the older one’s room. 

Thus, he went down to Ren’s room and knocked at the door. Yet no answer came.   
By chance Takumi noticed that the door was open – a sign that usually meant that the dancer was at home. “Ren?”   
There was no answer and there was no sound from the bathroom either. Instead he heard some light snoring in the room, yet it sounded so unlike Ren. 

The whole situation was scary in a way which made the brown haired one worried. Something was clearly wrong. Slowly and as quiet as he could he entered the room further.   
When he finally entered the living room which was also the bedroom, there was no one – at least no one human. 

Instead of the dancer, there was a small dog, a Pomeranian, sleeping on Ren's bed. The shade of the fur of the dog was similar to Ren’s hair colour, yet Takumi had no idea where the dog was coming from. Due to their busy schedules they were not allowed to keep any pets – save for the bugs Sukai secretly breeds and the ones Shion accidentally breeds with his chaos - and if there was one member who would never dare to break any rules it would have been Ren. But the older one wasn’t around, so he couldn’t be asked about the origin of the puppy. Takumi was about to send a message to his friend when he noticed Ren’s phone laying on the table. 

The situation got more and more mysterious each minute and Takumi knew he needed help. Sho wasn’t around – he was one of the members who had a schedule on that day – and probably it was better to ask someone who had any experience with dogs. This left Ruki, Keigo and Shion as options. Keigo’s room was right next to Ren’s one, so if something questionable had happened he should have noticed that. But so far, it seemed like Takumi was the only one who had noticed that something strange was going on. 

The brown haired one was still wondering where to go when the puppy woke up. But instead of lively puppy the freshly awoken dog still seemed gloomy – as much as you could say that about a dog. “Hey you.” The singer went down on his knees so he was on the eye level of the dog. Before he had become an idol, he had thought about buying a dog for himself. Back then he had researched about them and read somewhere that being on the same eye level as them helped to reduce the stress for anxious dogs. 

“Who are you? Did Ren find you somewhere?” Of course, the dog couldn’t answer him but when he mentioned Ren’s name there seemed some reaction from the dog. Hence, he continued to talk. “You know where Ren is? Can you show me where?” Unfortunately, the dog stayed on the bed. “You don’t know it, too? Too bad.” Gently, he started to pet the puppy and it seemed to enjoy it. But he still had two mysteries to solve: where did the puppy come from and where was Ren? 

He knew he needed help with the situation. Someone had to watch the puppy and someone else had to search for Ren. Also, they needed one other person to stay at the dorm in case Ren returned. Furthermore, he wondered whether he should inform their manager. The disappearance was concerning, but there must be a reason for both the dog and Ren's absence. The dancer never did anything without a good reason. 

So far, Takumi couldn’t spot any injury on the puppy, but it seemed less lively than the average dog. Maybe he had been abandoned by someone and Ren had witnessed that? Ren would be the type to take the dog until someone trustable was found for him and maybe he already had someone in his mind and thus taken the dog? “Ren is such a sweetheart for taking you home besides it means that he broke a rule.” Takumi mumbled while petting the fluffy dog. 

Still, something needed to be done. The other members would be the best option for now, so Takumi decided to check who was home and could help him. Yet when he got up and wanted to leave the room, the puppy seemed to look sadder and there was something like a whine from him. “You don’t want me to leave?” It was already hard to say no to such an adorable dog. 

For a moment Takumi contemplated what he should do, but one more look into the puppies’ eyes made him weak and he picked up the dog. Instantly, the dog snuggled closer to his chest and seemed to be more content than a few seconds ago. “And people call me being good at making people spoil me. You are much better.” Yet having the fluffball in his arms did feel nice. Hopefully, after Ren returned everyone could work together and convince their manager to get one or two puppies for the whole group to take care of. 

With the puppy in his arms, Takumi made his way over to Ruki’s room. Among the members who lived on the second floor, the older one seemed to be the most reliable when it comes to difficult to handle situations. Unlike others – mainly Keigo or Junki – he didn’t make a fuss out of things, but tried to handle those calmly. It was a bit difficult to knock on his door and not to drop the dog, but he managed it somehow. “Ruki, it’s me, Takumi, I need your help.” 

Similar to himself, Ruki didn’t allow the members to enter his room, but they were an exemption for each other because they knew that the other one wouldn’t cause chaos.   
Thus, not long after his knock, Ruki opened the door. “What is the problem? Wait, why do you have a dog?”   
“Well, he’s part of the problem.”   
“Let me guess. You went shopping, spotted the dog and fell in love? But only after buying it you realised that we are not allowed to keep pets? Seriously, Takumi, you spend too much time with Junki. You start to make stupid decisions like him.” 

“No, it’s not like that.”, the shorter one said with a sigh. “I wanted to borrow mayonnaise from Ren, but instead of him I only found this puppy in his room.”   
“This is a prank, right?”   
“No, Ruki, it’s not. Check yourself. Ren has disappeared.” The whole situation certainly sounded absurd, but that just added to why Takumi was worried. Nothing added up. 

“Have you called him?”   
“His phone is also still in his room.”   
“It’s really not a prank?”   
“Check it yourself.” Takumi wished that it was nothing but a prank. With each minute that Ren’s location stayed unknown the problem only grew bigger. 

Ruki, meanwhile, did check the room of the disappeared member and when he returned, he seemed equally confused as Takumi. “It looks like Ren went to bed last night, but has disappeared before morning. There are still the ingredients for his breakfast in the kitchen.”   
“It’s weird, isn’t it? Maybe he forgot something for breakfast, went to the supermarket and found the puppy? And now he’s searching for the owner?”   
“I’m no expert when it comes to cooking, but he seemed to have everything for French toast... But you could be right. Still, that he didn’t take his phone with him doesn’t make any sense.”   
“Yes, you are right.” 

There was no logical explanation for the whole situation, but at least the puppy seemed less gloomy since it was in Takumi’s arms. It seemed to enjoy the closeness to him.   
“I can’t blame Ren for taking the puppy with him. The little one is cute.” Ruki started to pet the dog and smiled happily at it. The dog also seemed to like the other one because it moved his head closer to the hand of the other member. “I don’t know. Doesn’t the fur colour remind you of Ren’s hair colour?” 

“I thought the same earlier, too.” It had been actually one of the first things Takumi had noticed about the dog.   
“What if Ren turned into a dog?”   
“Ruki, this is the reality and not a Disney movie.”   
“I know, I was just joking.”   
“What should we do now?” There was still no solution for the situation and Takumi couldn't think of something himself.

“I think we should focus on finding Ren first. Once we find him, he can surely explain more about the dog.”   
“You are right. But what should we do with the dog? It doesn’t seem to like to be alone...”   
“Some dogs can find missing people, but I doubt it can... and we should give it a name. Calling the puppy 'it' all the time doesn’t feel good. Since you found him, I will leave that to you.”   
“Hm...” A part of him wanted to call the dog ‘Ren’, but it felt weird to call it with the same name as their missing member. So, it had to be another name. “It seems like a boy to me, so about Reo?” 

“Isn’t Reo more a cat name? But anyway for now, it seems good, a typical Kawashiri name with the 3 letters.”   
Actually, he hadn’t even thought of that. But Ruki was right. He had unintentionally chosen a name that was fitting to Ren and his family. “Well, you are Reo now, little fluffball.”   
For a second the dog looked somewhat confused to him but when Takumi started to pet him with one hand again, he seemed to accept the name. 

“It’s probably better if you bring the dog to your room and we start to search for Ren. I will tell everyone else who is here today about it.”   
“Thank you.” Takumi felt a little bad of having to leave the puppy alone later, but the missing member had to be their priority. When he placed the dog on his bed – the little one seemed to enjoy comfortable places – he went down to Reo’s eye level again and pet him. “I have to leave you alone for a bit. The guy who found you, Ren, is missing and he is very important to me, so please forgive me, okay?”   
The dog didn’t seem happy when he left, but it couldn’t be helped. They had to find Ren. 

Back at the second floor all members who didn’t have a schedule on this day had gathered in the hallway: Shosei, Shion, Issei and Ruki. Junki and Sukai were supposed to be home, too, but they had gone out. Luckily, Ruki had informed them already that they needed to return as soon as possible.   
The three younger members clearly seemed worried about Ren and his disappearance.   
“I think it’s the best if we split where to look. Mame will go to the dance studio, Shosei will check near the supermarkets, Shion will go for the local gaming centers, I will take the parks and Takumi will cover the surrounding area of the dorm.”, explained the oldest one among them. 

“I think it’s better if one of us stays here. In case Ren returns or when Junki and Sukai return. They can cover those close areas then.”, added Takumi.   
“Hm... I guess that’s good, too.” The others also nodded at Takumi’s suggestion. “We need to find him. If you find any trace of Ren, write it in the group chat I made earlier. I don’t want to worry the rest if it’s just a minor thing, so don’t use the member chat.”, continued Ruki.   
“If any other member returns before Ren, I will inform them what happened and find a way how they could help. Good luck everyone.” 

Takumi truly hoped that it was nothing but a minor thing, that Ren would pop up at the dorm at any minute and laugh at them for being over worried, yet the longer he was absent, the less likely it becamen. At least it was one of the off days, so they could keep the whole incident lowkey – for now. 

After everyone had left, Takumi returned to his room to entertain the puppy. He had thought about waiting at Ren’s room, but it felt wrong to wait there while the other one was missing. Especially if it was something more serious, the police would investigate the room and he didn’t want to destroy any potential clues. Still, he hoped it wouldn’t come that far. 

To his surprise, the puppy had redecorated his room in the short time of his absence. On Takumi’s bed he had built something like a nest from Takumi’s clothes – making the singer wonder how the dog had managed to take out those from his laundry basket. Yet the puppy sitting happily among his clothes was such an adorable picture, that Takumi couldn’t be angry at him. Instead, he took a photo of the scene. “Do you like me that much, Reo? You are so cute.” 

Not knowing what else he should do, he sat down next to the dog and started to pet him again. The dog finally seems to be happier than when he first found him. It was good to see, yet Takumi didn’t know what else he should do with the dog. “I’m sorry that I don’t have any toys or food for you. Should I ask Shosei to bring something for you later? Maybe I should but Shosei doesn’t know yet that you are here.” 

It was complicated. They had to focus on finding Ren, but he didn’t want to neglect the adorable puppy. Yet still, the anxiety about Ren’s disappearance weighed hard on him. It was so strange and Takumi was missing him in a way already. On the other hand, he was glad to have the puppy on his side in that moment. The dog offered at least some comfort in this situation. 

“You know, Reo, we are searching Ren right now. You know Ren, don't you? Ren is our dance leader and without him, we would have no chance in the industry. He is a great teacher even when the others say he’s scary during dance practise. But I don’t think so. He does it because he loves us.” He doubted that the dog understood him, but talking about it while petting the puppy helped to ease the tension inside of him a bit. “Also, without Ren I wouldn’t be here. I was inexperienced before joining the audition. But for some reason he and some other super talented people saw something in me and took me under their wing. But only Ren is with me until now... That’s why he is someone very important to me. I hope Ren is fine wherever he is.” Suddenly, Reo started to lick his hand as if he wanted to comfort the human next to him. “Thank you, little one.” 

Suddenly, Takumi heard a loud voice outside – Junki's one. The singer seemed to have returned and was looking for Ruki. Takumi wanted to go with him, but Reo put a paw on his leg as if he didn’t want Takumi to go. “I’m sorry, Reo, but I have to.” Yet the puppy used his best puppy eyes and Takumi became weak once more. “I guess, you will meet uncle Junki now. But be careful. He is loud.” Then he took the puppy in his arms and went outside to greet the other member. 

Surprisingly, Sukai was with him – that was good because it meant Takumi only had to explain the situation once. “Good that you are here finally. Ren has disappeared and-”   
Yet before he could finish the sentence, the two other members spotted the puppy in his arms. “Why do you have a dog?”, asked Sukai.   
“Well, that could be part of the mystery. Instead of Ren we only found this dog.”   
“Are you sure that he’s not at the studio?”, asked Junki.   
“He left his phone at home and his door was open as if he was home. Mame is checking right now if he just forgot his phone before leaving.” 

“This seems unlike Ren, yes.” Both Sukai and Junki seemed to be worried now, too. “What is the plan?”   
“All members that were home are searching him right while I stay here in case he returns and to watch the dog. We still need to cover some areas which would fall to you two.”, explained Takumi.   
“Which areas are still missing?” Unlike usually, Junki’s voice was quiet – a sign that the singer was taking the situation serious right now. 

“Close to the dorm and I thought someone could check on his old dancer friends, too.”   
“I will take up the search close to here.”, offered Sukai.   
“Then I’m left with his dancer friends. I don’t really know them, but I could ask Fumiya... He should know them.”   
“Okay, but one thing. We want to keep the thing as small as possible, so try not to tell them the truth. Find some excuse.” He didn’t want anyone to worry more than necessary. It was already enough that so far seven out ten members of their own group were dying with worry about their eleventh member. 

“Sure, I will act like I’m planning a birthday surprise.”   
“That's a good plan. And Sukai, if you come across a pet store or something, please get something for the puppy.”   
“Noted.” The youngest one left on the spot to search for their dancer while Junki went inside the dorm, so that he could call various people whether they knew something. 

This left Takumi alone with the puppy once again. Yet, he finally noticed his own growling stomach – he still hadn’t eaten lunch. “Food delivery it is.”, he said to himself. All the stress called for his comfort food and thus he ordered two hamburgers online. He didn’t even know why two. Even when he was really hungry, he just ate one. Maybe it was the wish that by the time the food was delivered, Ren who also liked that dish would have returned and they could enjoy together. 

Yet, when the food delivery arrived there was still no trace of the dancer. Instead, when Reo spotted the food, his puppy eyes turned big and the dog tried to beg for the food. “Reo, I doubt that is food that’s appropriate for dogs.” But the puppy continued and again Takumi got weak. He cut of a small part of the meat and gave it to the dog who happily munched it. 

“You are really hungry, aren’t you? I’m sorry, but Sukai hasn’t returned yet.” Still, Takumi didn’t want the dog to stay hungry, thus he took the second portion and cut the meat into puppy bite sized slices. When the plate was placed in front of the dog, Reo ate it in no time and then happily returned to Takumi’s side who had also finished his meal by now. 

Eventually, there was a knock on his door. For a short time, Takumi hoped it was Ren but then he heard Junki’s voice from the other side. “Takumi? Can I come in?”   
“No.” Even today, there were no exemptions to the no entering rule of his room. Rather, Takumi took Reo in his arms again and went to the door to talk to the other one in the hallway. “Do you have any news?”   
“He is also not with his dancer friends, but we planned a birthday surprise for him.”   
“Well, it’s something I guess... But where is he?” It was depressing that there was still no news of Ren’s whereabouts. 

“I have no idea. But tell me more of the dog. Where does it come from?”   
“Well, when I went to look for Ren because I wanted to borrow something for lunch, I found the dog in his room. Ruki and me call him Reo now and he likes hamburgers and that’s all we know about him.” While it wasn't much they knew about the dog, it was still more than about the whereabouts of their dance leader. 

“Don’t you think Zorro would be a better name for him?” Junki started to pet the puppy, too, who clearly enjoyed that extra attention.   
“No, he is Reo now. Don’t confuse the puppy.”   
“Okay, whatever you say, princess.”   
“I’m not-”   
“Yeah, I know. You are only Ren’s princess.”   
“Don’t mention that.” 

Princess had been a nickname for Takumi since the audition days. He was never that fond of it, but if the fans liked it, he accepted it. However last summer – nearly a year after gaining that nickname – when the planning for the album had started, it was brought up by Ren again for choreography and jokingly the movement had turned into the ‘princess-escort’ and he became Ren’s princess – a position he somehow liked. 

“You miss him, don’t you?” Junki’s question pulled Takumi back to reality.   
“I might be overreacting and barely a day has passed since I last saw him, but yes, I miss him.”   
“I miss him, too. He’s my best friend and I thought I know my best friend. He would never disappear without a word.”   
“It’s weird what’s going on, isn’t it? I wonder what happened.”   
Not knowing what else they could, both guys continued to pet the puppy. At least one of them should feel good and the puppy was unaware of the situation, thus he shouldn’t suffer from it, too. 

Suddenly, they heard someone arriving and got excited for a minute. But it was ‘only’ Keigo and Syoya who returned from their work. “Oh, it’s you.”   
“Wow, I never heard you two being that disappointed to see us. Don’t you like the good old Keigo anymore?”   
“Wait, is that a dog in your arms, Takumi?” An excited Syoya came to them and started to pet the puppy, too. “So fluffy.”   
“Sorry guys. Ren has disappeared and we have no clue where he is.”, explained Junki. 

“You are joking, you two, aren't you?” Keigo seemed in disbelief and again Takumi wished they were joking, but it was the sad reality.   
“No, we are not. Everyone but us and Sho who is still working is looking for him right now.”   
“Why are you not searching for him?”   
“I called his dancer friends earlier and Takumi originally stayed in case Ren returned and watched over the dog because he was the one who found him in Ren’s room.”   
“Why was there a dog in Ren’s room? I thought we can’t keep pets.” There was some envy in Syoya’s voice. This was likely because the younger rapper wanted to bring his bunny over since a while already. 

“That’s another mystery. Ren has disappeared without a trace and I found this puppy in his room.”   
“Wait a second...” It seemed like Keigo had put some clues together, yet Takumi had no idea which ones. “Syoya, do you remember the story they told us at the radio?”   
“The one about people turning into dogs when they feel stressed and unloved?”   
“Yes, this one!”   
“Keigo, that’s just a story.” 

The story sounded absurd. There was no way a human could turn into a dog overnight. “I’m sure there is a much better explanation.”   
“No, listen to me. Ren has disappeared and instead you found this cute dog whose fur colour is the same colour as Ren’s hair. The dog adores you Takumi and we know that you are also Ren’s favourite member.”   
“No, I’m not.”   
Yet Keigo ignored him and continued with his explanation. “And look into the dog’s face. Doesn’t it remind you of Ren?” 

“Keigo, that’s -” However before Takumi could finish the sentence, Junki took Reo from his arms and held him close to his face.   
“Oh my god. You are right, Keigo. His face looks like Ren’s one.” Takumi wanted to facepalm because of Junki’s reaction. He couldn’t believe that Junki – a graduate from one of the most prestigious universities of this country – was that naïve and stupid. “You are not Reo, but Ren! Yeah Ren, you made your childhood dream come true and turned into a dog.” 

The dog didn’t seem to understand Junki’s words or else he wouldn’t react so happily. The puppy started to wag his tail and barked with a high-pitched voice. “Yes, you have a high voice just like the human you.”   
Since Junki – and Keigo who also started to call the dog Ren – were about to turn insane, Takumi took Reo back into his arms. The poor dog shouldn’t suffer from their noise levels. 

A little later the search party returned and sadly none of them had found out anything. Ren wasn’t seen anywhere nor left traces. Everything stayed a mystery.   
At least, Sukai had bought some proper dog food and toys, but when Takumi tried to feed the dog, Reo refused to eat any of the offered food. In turn this behaviour convinced Shion of Keigo’s crazy belief that Reo was actually their missing member because Ren was a picky eater. 

At the same time, Takumi feared that the dog could have stomach ache from the lunch, yet when Junki started to play with him and the dog toys the puppy seemed lively and healthy, thus Takumi assumed his little stomach might be still full. 

More time passed and Sho also finally returned from his schedule. All other members felt bad for keeping it a secret from their leader that long, yet they had hoped that Ren would return before his arrival.   
“Is that so? No, it’s okay that you didn’t tell me. I wouldn’t have been able to focus on work, I guess.” Takumi wasn’t sure whether there was worry or disappointment in their leader’s voice. “It’s not typical for him, but he will have his reasons. I trust him. But if he hasn’t returned by tomorrow morning, I will inform Naoto and the police.” 

“But he is here!” Once more Keigo and Junki started with their foolish story and Takumi wanted to shout at them to shut up. But it was wrong to do so. Ren wouldn’t want them to fight. The dancer hated fights and maybe that story was their way to cope with his disappearance.   
Sho also just shook his head. “I will inform Naoto about the dog, too, of course. Maybe he is the clue to Ren’s whereabouts or maybe it is just coincidence that he appeared.” 

“But Sho, if it comes to this, please tell Naoto to let us keep him for now. Reo somehow helps a little.” In the short time, Takumi had grown attached to the dog and the other members, even the ones who were told about his existence later, seemed to feel similar.   
Right now, Issei and Shosei were playing with the puppy. Those two had been hit also hit hard by the disappearance for their dance leader, so the light smile they showed while playing with Reo was something welcome.   
“I try to. But I can’t promise.” 

During the evening the member took turns in entertaining the puppy. Ruki took him for a walk and Keigo went out to buy more expensive dog food in hope that the dog would eat it later, but when Sukai who had taken up the feeding duty somehow tried to feed the dog, he refused again.   
However, when Shion brought some yogurt from his room to eat it for dinner, the dog started to beg for it and ultimately their second youngest shared it – which Shion took as another proof that the dog was actually Ren. 

Eventually, everyone was exhausted from the day full of anxiety. Earlier than normally, everyone went to their rooms and to sleep and it was decided that Reo would sleep at Takumi’s room. The dog was still the most attached to him and Takumi didn’t mind. He was full of unease regarding Ren and the dog brought a small solace. Hence, he even allowed the dog to sleep in his bed. 

Yet when the lights turned off and no sound was heard, not even when Shosei’s room which was usually noisy at that time, tears started to drop from Takumi’s eyes. He hugged the puppy close and the dog seemed to understand his sadness and snuggled closer to him.   
“I hope Ren returns soon. I hope you can meet Ren soon. He is such a wonderful person and I miss him so much. There is so much I still need to tell him and thank him for...” Regrets filled Takumi’s heart. If he had done something – whatever it was – done different, he migbht have been able to prevent that situation. 

“And if you are not Reo but Ren, please become a human again. We are all worried about you. We miss you. Whatever made you turn into a dog, we will help you to fix it. If it’s the stress, let me help you. No wait, Mame is the better option when it comes to dancing. And if you feel unloved, damn it, Kawashiri Ren, I love you. I just can’t tell you that. Each time you hug me my heart turns into a humming bird and I’m becoming so nervous that I just can’t do anything. But if it’s what you need to hear, yes, I love you, and please return to me. I won’t kill you even for this hideous plan to let you enter my room as a dog. Just come back please.” 

It made no sense what he was saying and most likely the piled-up anxiety of the day made him go crazy now, too, but he wanted to try everything to make his friend and crush return. Yet in his arms the puppy stayed. Reo sensed his sadness and used his paw as if he wanted to brush away Takumi’s tears, yet the small dog was clumsy and Takumi miserable. 

Takumi didn’t know when he fell asleep in the end or if he stopped crying before, yet when he woke up, he noticed something strange. There was no puppy in his bed anymore. Instead, his single bed felt rather crowded as if another human was sharing it with you. He was widely awake in a second, but when he opened his eyes, he was sure again that he was dreaming. 

Reo was nowhere to be seen. But Ren was peacefully sleeping next to him.   
“No way. No way.” Once again, he started to cry but this time from relief. Ren had returned – and that insane little story from Keigo had been true.   
Still, Takumi couldn’t help but wake up the other one, too. He needed to hear the truth. 

It took a moment for Ren to awake and he seemed confused initially. “Hm? Takumi? Why are you in my room?”, he mumbled sleepily.   
“We are in my room.”   
“Why am I in your room? I’m not allowed to enter.”   
“Don’t you remember what happened?”   
“No, yesterday’s memories are blurry and somehow strange...” 

In a way that answer was to be expected, yet Takumi wanted to hear more from Ren’s side – especially the part about how he turned into a dog. “You disappeared yesterday and we found a cute little Pomeranian which had your hair colour as his fur colour.”   
“You are joking, right?”   
“I wish I was. All members were worried.”   
“Wait, you are crying, Takkun.” 

Normally, Ren noticed other people’s emotions pretty fast, but this time his sleepiness and the confusion about his situation delayed his reaction. Yet once he noticed that Takumi cried, he gently started to wipe away his tears. “Yes, because of you, idiot. I was dying because of worry. I thought I would never see you again.”   
“I’m sorry, Takkun. I don’t know how it happened.” 

The room was still rather dark but because they were that close Takumi could see Ren’s expression – he was truly sorry. “Keigo heard about a story that people can turn into a dog when they feel stressed and unloved, but I didn’t believe it.”   
“I wouldn’t have believed it, too.”   
“Did you feel stressed and unloved?” The younger one wanted to know the truth, so that he could prevent it the next time. 

Ren took a moment to think before he answered “Yes...” with a sigh.   
“But why?”   
“With the new release coming up our work increased again and normally I can handle this well, yes, but at the same time I felt like you all grew distant to me. Outside of work, no one seemed like they wanted to spend time with me anymore. Everyone preferred to play games with someone else or cook with someone else. Maybe it was my fault for being too strict at the lessons, but I want us to succeed.”, the dancer confessed. 

It hurt Takumi to hear this, because at least from his side it had been the right opposite. “We all love and care about you and if you are not with us, there is clearly someone dear missing. Mame and Shosei could only make a small smile when they played with your dog self, Syoya barely ate something for dinner, Sho was ready to call the police, Sukai played no pranks on Ruki who also barely talked last night. Junki was also rather quiet and together with Keigo and Shion he held on tightly to the belief that the dog we found was you. You are never too strict with us, because we know that you want the best for all of us. And I’m not sure whether the others think the same, but I left you alone in the evening to give you time to relax. You always work so hard for us.” 

Takumi hugged the other one and besides his heart beating like crazy in the moment, the other one was more important. He wanted Ren not to feel alone anymore.   
“Really?” Ren still sounded like he was in disbelief.   
“Really.” 

No one said anything for a few moments. It seemed like Ren was trying to put the few remaining memories together and Takumi gave him all the time to digest all the information he had gotten. The silence didn’t feel awkward but necessary.   
“So, I turned into a dog like in some urban legend Keigo heard about.”   
“Yes. Apparently, he and Syoya heard about it on their radio schedule yesterday.”   
“And you found me? I think I remember seeing you first.”   
“Yes, I needed something for my potato salad and I wanted to ask you but instead of you I found a dog.”   
“Then, you all started searching for me and you took over the care duty for me?”   
“Dog you seemed the most attached to me and I wanted to stay home in case you returned.” 

“That’s not surprising, was it?” Ren seemed to be a little embarrassed when he said that.   
“No, it was not. But it made Junki a little jealous.”   
“That’s Junki.” Finally, Ren’s high laughter sounded in the room. “Was I a cute puppy?”   
“I can show you. You are closer to the table, so can you give me my phone?” 

The dancer did as asked and handed Takumi his phone who looked up the picture from the day before. “That was you after I left you alone in my room for a moment.”   
“Wow, I was adorable. I always wanted to become a dog, but I never thought I would be such a cute dog. Can you send me it later?”   
“Sure.” 

“Takkun, can I ask you something?” For some reason Ren sounded a little insecure in that moment.   
“Of course.”   
“I’m not sure if I dreamed that or if it’s a memory, but did you confess to me last night?”   
Takumi’s face turned warm. Because they were still hugging, he had no other option than to hide his face at Ren’s chest. “Maybe...”   
“So, you love me?” Ren’s voice stayed insecure and Takumi could feel that the hand that was caressing his back was shaking a little.   
“Yes.” It was a mere whisper, but Ren seemed to have heard it anyway.   
“I love you, too, Takumi.” 

Gently, Ren pulled Takumi’s head up, so that they could look into each other’s eyes. Ren’s smile was gentle as always and there was a blush on his face. Yet he waited for Takumi’s permission before doing anything. Thus, Takumi took the initiative. His heart might have been close to jump out from his chest, yet he leaned closer until they kissed. It was a soft but short kiss, but it was enough to confirm their mutual feelings for each other.   
“Promise me to never disappear again.”, Takumi whispered.   
“I promise.” Another kiss followed and for a while they just enjoyed each other’s company. 

Eventually, they started to hear the first sounds from the other rooms in the dorm and they realised that they forgot the most important thing – telling everyone else the happy news of Ren’s return to his human self.   
“It’s going to be chaos.” Takumi was already exhausted just by thinking about the explaining everything and everyone’s reaction.   
“We will manage that- together.” The older one gave him a kiss on the cheek before they got up to face the other nine members. 

_Omake_  
“I was right~. I was right~.” As expected Keigo was super excited that his story had turned out to be the actual explanation.   
“I can’t believe dog you also favours Takumi over your best friend.” Junki’s words might have sounded like a complaint, but his smile told a different story. He was more than glad to have human Ren back.

“So, this means we still don’t have a dorm pet?” Earlier Ren had sat down on the floor and bowed to everyone as part of his apology which had Syoya taken as an opportunity to start to pet Ren’s hair. It was a funny picture but the younger one seemed content and Ren didn't mind it.  
“Can we get a real puppy?”, asked Issei who also seemed sad about the disappearance of their temporal pet.   
“Please Sho?” Shosei joined their youngest in puppy-eyeing their leader. 

“Can’t we have a cat instead?” Ruki, meanwhile, seemed quite glad of the return of his friend, but annoyed at the current chaos.   
“Since when you are part of the cat club, Rurutan?” 

“We have Mame who is in charge of being our puppy, so he has to turn into one next. Or I can finally turn into a real alien!”   
“No, Shion, everyone will stay human from now on. But okay, I will ask Naoto for a pet.” Just like always Sho did his best to calm the group. 

Ren and Takumi didn’t expect that the announcement of Ren’s return to his human form – and of their relationship – would turn into a pet discussion, but that was just the nature of their group. Actually, they were glad that everyone took the news that lightly.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!  
> Here I am again...and no I don't have any other hobbies.  
> When I discovered that prompt on [twt](https://twitter.com/milkypans/status/1362471141214998530?s=20) the other day, I just knew I have to write it... It's so cute (and a much better prompt than that other verse prompt which I will honestly never write in my life)  
> Anyway, enjoy the fluff and the performance flood we will get the next days!  
> See you~
> 
> PS: whoever draws Pomeranian!Ren gets my hand in marriage (or if you are Ren himself)


End file.
